Finding a Place for Herself
by LeglessJedi
Summary: Conclusion to Some She's Shorter Than. The end of Laura's adventure in the War of the Ring. Will she tell Legolas how she feels? ENDING CHANGED
1. Default Chapter

Finding A Place for Herself

Disclaimer: I most certainly DO NOT own LOTR. The only character I own is Laura. The rest belong to Tolkien. And so does most of the plot. Enjoy!

**Default Chapter**

"Okay, now let me get this straight. There are different kinds of Elvish?" Laura asked Legolas as they rode through Fangorn Forest.

He nodded. "Would you like me to debrief you on the history of it all?" he said, half smiling.

"No thank you. And here I though Trig was hard. What about these names? Is there an Elf named Fred or Bob, or how about Hector?"

He looked at her funny. "I'm afraid not."

"I see." Ever since their little heart to heart after Helm's Deep, Legolas and Laura seemed to be on a much greater understanding than before. Of course, it hadn't really been that rocky between them in the first place. He cared very deeply for the girl as an effect of their meeting in Rivendell. The only thing that could ease his apprehension for the upcoming events was talking to her. She was surprisingly a bit more intelligent than some of his own kind he had talked to, though he didn't readily admit to it.

Laura on the other hand, was not head over heels for Legolas anymore. She definitely felt something for him, but whether it was a crush or not she would have to put on hold until they got this Ring stuff figured out. She and Epona followed Gandalf and King Theoden. Holding up the rear were Aragorn and Eomer. She glanced behind at Eomer and winked. He nodded. "My lady." He was Eowyn's brother, and another real hottie.

As the forest allowed more sunlight to filter through it, Laura heard some familiar voices up ahead. Still behind Gandalf, they exited the forest suddenly to come upon what looked like a pile of rubble that had been flooded. On a small black wall in front of her were two Hobbits, smoking their pipes and looking like they were very much enjoying themselves.

Merry stood up, his eyes shining brightly. "Welcome my lords!" he said enthusiastically.

"No way," she exclaimed. "Merry and Pippin!"

The two Hobbits looked at her and began laughing. "It's Laura! Laura's back!" Pippin cried.

Gandalf shook his head. "Hobbits," he mumbled.

Pippin jumped off the wall and into Laura's outstretched arms. She hugged him tightly. As Merry rode with Eomer and she with Pippin through the flooded Isengard, she felt her strength return fully.

"I am so glad to see that you two are okay. You missed out on a whole bunch of stuff. Dude, Legolas, Aragorn and I fought with King Theoden at Helm's Deep, and it was so cool. There was this one Uruk Hai, okay? And he was climbing up a ladder, slashing his sword at me…" she continued to tell her story as they rode their horses through what was left of Isengard. There was water everywhere, flooding the place.

They came to a very tall, black tower. But that wasn't what caught Laura's attention. It was the giant talking tree that loomed over them. She gasped.

"Oh, don't be afraid of him, that's only Treebeard. We fought with him and the Ents to overthrow Isengard," Pippin piped up.

"Really? Well, that sounds like fun."

The creature named Treebeard had a low, rolling, soothing voice. "We have a wizard to manage here, locked in his tower," he informed them.

Gandalf seemed extremely paranoid for their situation. "Be careful," he warned them. He kept saying something about how Saruman was dangerous even in defeat.

"He's still around? But look at this place. He can't still be in a position of power," Laura insisted. "Can he?" She wondered why Legolas didn't just pull out his bow and arrows and shoot at the windows or something.

As if he'd read her mind, Gandalf turned around. "We need him alive for him to be any use to us," he muttered. He seemed no more pleased about it than she did.

She looked around at the place curiously. It had obviously been crawling with machinery at one time, before it was flooded. And it was right outside Fangorn Forest. Did that mean that Saruman had done his own landscaping? Well, that answered the reason the Ents had become so angry.

She heard something above her and looked up. There was a man on top of the really tall black tower. It was a guy that looked like Gandalf, except sinister. Saruman? So, that was what he looked like.

"You have fought many wars and slain many men, Theoden King; and made peace afterwards," he leaned on his staff, his voice resonating down the length of that tower. "Can we not take counsel together as we once did, my old friend," he added rather quietly. "Can we not have peace, old ally?"

Laura bit her lip. Theoden had just seen tons of his people die in false hopes that they were now safe from the Uruk Hai. They'd just recently gone through days without sleep and allying with Elves to fight 10,000 of those guy's creations. The king was a bundle of nerves just waiting to flip out on somebody. _Saruman is slimy little thing_, she thought.

"We shall have peace," Theoden spoke slowly. He looked up at Saruman. "We shall have peace, when you answer for the burning of the Westfold…and the children that lie dead there. We shall have peace when the lives of the soldiers whose bodies were hewn even as they lay dead against the gates of the Hornburg are avenged. When you hang for the sport of your own crows we shall have peace," he finished.

Saruman seemed unaffected by this threat, and continued. "What do you want, Gandalf Greyhame? Let me guess: the key of Orthanc? Of perhaps the keys of Barad-dur themselves? Along with the crowns of the seven kings and the rod of the five wizards?"

"Your treachery has already cost many lives," Gandalf argued. "Thousands more are now at risk. But you can save them Saruman," he tried to convince him. "You are deep in the enemy's counsel."

Saruman lifted an eyebrow. "So you have come for information? I have some for you." He held up a black orb, and all of them seemed to look upon it with fear. As Laura watched, reddish clouds seemed to swirl about in the orb as Saruman held it up and seemed transfixed with it. His eyes opened with a sort of greedy madness. He was definitely beyond the point of turning around to the good side. "Something festers in the heart of Middle-earth. Something that you have failed to see. The Great Eye has seen it. Even now, he presses his advantage. His attack will come soon. You are all going to die. But you know this, don't you Gandalf? You cannot think that this…_ranger _will ever sit upon the throne of Gondor. This _exile_ crept from the shadows will never be crowned king."

_Uh oh_, Laura thought. _He dissed Aragorn, he's dead._

"Gandalf does not hesitate to sacrifice those closest to him. Those he professes to love," Saruman continued.

Laura rolled her eyes. What was this guy trying to do? Like any one of them were really gonna jump up and go "Hey, you know, I think Saruman has a point"?

"Tell me," the evil wizard said in a dangerous tone, "What words of comfort did you give the Halfling before you sent him to his doom? The path that you have sent him on can only lead to death," he said triumphantly. And Gandalf actually looked like he was guilty.

"Why haven't we killed him yet?" Laura asked calmly.

In reply, Legolas began reaching back to grab an arrow.

"No," Gandalf said. "Come down Saruman, and your life will be spared," Gandalf promised.

"Save your pity and your mercy, I have no use for it!" Saruman yelled, sending flames down from his staff. The flames engulfed Shadowfax and Gandalf, and Laura jumped in surprise from seeing a giant ball of flame in front of them. She felt Pippin stiffen a little, and put her hands on his shoulders to comfort him. They both breathed sigh of relief when they saw that both of them were unharmed. Even Saruman looked taken aback.

Gandalf just looked up. "Saruman," he said. "Your staff is broken." With that, Saruman's little staff shattered to bits, leaving the angry wizard looking like merely an angry old man. And then that greasy guy Wormtongue appeared behind him.

"Grima," Theoden called out. "You need not follow him. You were not always as you are now. You were once a man of Rohan."

Grima looked defeated and confused. He looked like he was just going to run away like he had from Edoras, until Saruman continued to speak.

"A man of Rohan," he sneered. "What is the house of Rohan, but a thatched barn…" he continued that way, and by that it was obvious he wasn't going to live much longer.

Theoden asked Grima once more to come down, and when Grima spoke Saruman turned around and bitchslapped him. She was torn between amusement and pity.

"Saruman!" Gandalf yelled, not giving up. "You are deep in the enemy's counsel, tell us what you know."

Saruman looked down at them. "You withdraw your guard, and I will tell you where you doom will be decided. I will not be held prisoner here."

What? Laura didn't believe for a second that he would actually tell them anything. But maybe without that staff of his he was useless. He was a much weaker, more insincere wizard than Gandalf was. He could easily be manipulated.


	2. The Truth Comes Out

Disclaimer: I do not own LOTR, or this little scene in this chapter and the next.

**Default Added Chapter**

As Saruman spoke the last words, Grima reappeared once more and stabbed him a couple of times in the back. Her eyes widened, and her grip tightened a little around Pippin's shoulder as she watched Legolas draw his bow and shoot an arrow at Grima. Then Saruman had nothing to keep him from toppling over the edge of that huge looming tower.

He fell, it seemed like for a long time, rolling over and over again as the wind blew him about. He landed on a spike from one of the mills, and Laura put her hand to her mouth as she grabbed the Hobbit sitting in front of her, trying not to cry out.

After that little traumatic scene, everyone continued on casually. Gandalf was having a conversation with Treebeard as Laura heard Aragorn.

"Pippin!" he said. She looked down. Pippin had jumped off Epona and was wading towards a round glowing object sitting at the bottom of all the water. He picked it up, looking curiously at it.

"Bless my bark," Treebeard breathed in a low, rolling voice.

"A Seeing Stone," Aragorn murmured.

Gandalf didn't waste any time riding right over to him. "Peregrin Took, I'll take that my lad. Quickly now," he said shortly. Obviously it was something that required delicate care, from the tone of Gandalf's voice. She saw the curiosity in Pippin's eye, though. It was the same look that had gotten them into trouble in Moria.

She helped Pippin back onto Epona with her. They returned to Edoras shortly. With two of her Hobbit friends back, Middle Earth was fun again. They told her all about their journey through Fangorn Forest with Treebeard, although she didn't find it half as fascinating as her adventure.

That night, there actually was a party. Merry and Pippin were the center of attention, as they drank and danced like back in the Shire. Laura was among the crowd of people, laughing and dancing. She was singing old tavern songs that the Hobbits had taught her as they danced atop the tables. She caught sight of Aragorn and Eowyn. This time she saw that look in both their eyes. This made her stand still.

Was Aragorn giving up on Arwen? Then she remembered that the Elves were sailing to Valinor. Why now, though? Couldn't they have picked a better time to sail away? Did Arwen go with them? Why, if Aragorn had her immortal necklace? Normally she wouldn't have cared, but Arwen was her sister. Eowyn most likely didn't know any of that, but he knew perfectly well. Anger rose up in her as she decided whether to say anything or not. She decided against it, and slipped out unseen among the people.

She stood outside. It was cold, and the night was very clear. She didn't shudder, but clenched her fists together. Aragorn…she could still feel Arwen's tears on her shoulder the day they'd left Rivendell. She promised that she would protect Aragorn. But what about Arwen? Was she even there still? Suddenly, she clutched her heart. Maybe Aragorn could never be with Arwen, and it had all been a dream. An opportunity was right in front of him. Just like the opportunity with Legolas had presented itself…

She sat down hard. She didn't know how long it was that she stayed outside. What was she still doing here? As tired as she was, she didn't like sitting around waiting while Frodo was suffering that creepy little Gollum's company. The Ring was overpowering him slowly and she knew it. She let out a growl, annoyed with her decision to let Frodo and Sam go on their own. "Maybe I should have gone with them," she wondered aloud.

"Regretting your decision now?" Legolas said. He was standing behind her, his hood up protecting him from the wind.

"No, I'm just weighing it."

"It would be best if you didn't concern yourself with such matters," he said, offering her his hand.

She took it. "I've gotta make a place for myself before I die, and I don't think it's here. I shouldn't have left them."

"Aragorn faces the very same doubts, but faith will win over regret." He then took a stance and looked out across Edoras. He knew she was never serious like this, and decided to leave her alone with her thoughts. Aragorn joined them shortly, and Legolas said something about an eye moving.


	3. Sauron's Plan

Disclaimer: I don't own LOTR.

**The Truth Comes Out**

"What? You're joking, right? His eye is moving again?" Laura said. The terrifying feeling of her surrounded by flames welled up in her as she looked at Legolas.

He staggered back. "He is here!" he informed them both.

Confused for a second, Laura heard a cry from inside. Her eyes went wide. "Pippin!" Pippin had gotten a good look at the Seeing Stone while Gandalf was asleep. The three of them ran inside.

Merry was huddled in the corner, looking frightened as he cried for help. Pippin was on the ground, the sphere in his hands and glowing bright. He looked like he was in pain as Gandalf was just waking up. Aragorn immediately ran over and seized the sphere from Pippin.

"Hey, don't touch it!" Laura tried to warn him, but he already had it and was sinking to the ground. Legolas tried to hold him upright. Laura kicked the ball with her big black shoes, causing it to fall to the ground. Gandalf covered it with a sheet and then ran over to Pippin.

He lay there, looking lifeless. She stood by Aragorn and held him steady as Legolas did. She chanted one of the spells that Galadriel had taught her, then called to Pippin. "Pippin? Pippin?" she cried. Gandalf was bent over him saying something, so she turned her attention back to Aragorn. Placing a hand on his, the flames flashed through her mind, but she held her ground, keeping her eyes tightly shut.

"Pippin! Look at me! What did you see!" Gandalf demanded.

She opened her eyes. "He saw Gondor in flames!" she cried.

Gandalf looked at her. "Gondor?"

"The white tree. That's Gondor right? It was on Boromir's armor, I remember. It was the city of Minas Tirith. The tree was surrounded by fire," she explained.

"I did…I saw…I saw a t-tree…it was dead…" Pippin said, still in his terrified state.

This didn't seem to satisfy Gandalf. Pippin suddenly cried out in terror and threw himself in Laura's arms. "Shh, it's okay. It's all over, Pip," she whispered as she comforted him.

"I…I-I saw him," Pippin stuttered. "He asked me my name…" then his voice broke and he began sobbing.

"What did you tell him about the Ring? Did you tell him about Frodo? Peregrin?" Gandalf demanded.

Merry still looked terribly frightened. Aragorn looked drained from his brief encounter, and Legolas looked just as terrified as Merry. She was covered in a cold sweat and panting from her second encounter with Sauron, and she didn't even know it. Now the wizard stood over her. He glared angrily over the Hobbit.

"Hey, Pippin it's all right. Trust me, I've seen him too. It's terrifying," she whispered as Pippin continued to shake. "Aragorn, are you all right?" she asked with her voice full of concern.

Slowly getting back to his feet, he looked at her. He nodded slowly, and he exited with Legolas. Gandalf said nothing, but went back to sleep with the Stone right in her arms. Merry was still in the corner, more confused after the encounter.

"Merry, come here," she said. "He'll be fine, trust me. Just let him rest. I put a spell on him, so he won't have any nightmares." She patted Merry on the shoulder. She didn't know why she had such a maternal instinct with the Hobbits. She just wanted to protect Merry and Pippin as if they were little children. She fell asleep beside them, also thankfully having a dreamless sleep that night.

She woke up, feeling thoroughly rested for the first time since they'd set out from Rivendell. Smiling, she stretched and rolled over. Gasping, she sat straight up. Legolas lay sleeping right beside her. She held her chest, recovering from that little scare. Looking around, she saw that they were the only two in the building. She didn't want to wake him up, so she made her way outside.

It was chilly. She grabbed her Lorien cloak and wrapped it around her body as she made her way outside. Aragorn was sitting, eating a bowl of what was considered soup. More like animal parts in hot water. (sick!) "Wow, what a beautiful sunrise!" she exclaimed.

A large smile spread across Aragorn's face. "The sun is setting, my fair lady. You slept through the day!"

"What? Why didn't you wake me up?" she demanded, a little embarrassed.

"Gandalf said not to wake you. And Legolas kept watch over you while you slept incase any of the visions were to come back. You've had a trying night."

She smiled and took a seat next to him as he poured her a bowl of the stuff. "It wasn't that bad, because Merry and Pippin were with me. It's easy to be strong when you have someone who looks up to you."

He looked at her with that knowing glance that told her he could relate to every word and thought she was having. He still looked weary, but his eyes always brightened when she was around. It was because she reminded him of Arwen. "Theoden will not order his troops to ride to Gondor's aid," he said, looking off in the distance.

"What? Has our victory at Helm's Deep made him daft?" she asked.

"Nay, my lady. As a king surely he does not wish his people to witness anymore death."

"Oh, yeah. Boy, it's a good thing you're around to tell me these things. I'd make a terrible leader."

Aragorn chuckled. "You do not give yourself enough credit. You are a fine warrior, and will make a fine leader for your people someday."

She sighed, wondering how she'd ever gotten so far in life without friends like these. She stood up. She was going to go and see Gandalf, since she hadn't seen him in so long. Maybe she could find out something about these visions. But as she went back inside, her eyes fell on Legolas. He was still sleeping.

He looked so peaceful. She paid careful attention to every detail on his body and in his face. Silently, she knelt down by his side. His soft breathing almost moved her to tears as she realized how big her heart felt when she looked at him. She wanted to touch his pointed ears, run her hands through his braided hair, and just kiss him over and over again.

"Legolas," she whispered, half hoping he'd wake up when he heard her voice. He didn't move. "Legolas, I love you," she whispered. She got up and went to find Gandalf.


	4. The Truth Returned

Disclaimer: I don't own LOTR.  
  
The Truth Returned  
  
She jumped when a huge, powerful blue light came from the top of the building. It made a deafening noise as she covered her ears. Then the pain shot through her shoulder. She heard Frodo cry out as she understood that now she could feel what he was feeling. There was a Ringwraith nearby.  
  
She fell to her knees, already weary from the pain. As she held her breath, a giant creature emerged. It had a wingspan that looked like it was one fourth the width of that castle. It let out a piercing shriek and she covered her ears as her blood ran cold. Huddled up against a rock, she looked up. It was a wraith, and he had this new death-helmet on. She winced in pain as the gray creature continued to shriek.  
  
The door opened, and her eyes widened as she forgot about all of the pain. An army of Orcs and Uruk Hai poured out of those doors, marching along the bridge towards her. She looked up above her and could see no sign of the three. Good, they were still unnoticed.  
  
"LAURA!" a voice cried as she was violently shaken to consciousness. Her eyes fluttered open as the pain in her shoulder disappeared and the shriek faded from her ears.  
  
Legolas was the one who had been shaking her. She pushed his hands away. "What?" she asked rudely. "I'm fine."  
  
"Laura, I've not seen you in three days and I come in here to find you unconscious on the floor! You are never to leave my sight again, do you understand!?" Legolas bellowed.  
  
Completely taken aback by this outburst, Laura swallowed hard. "Okay," she said timidly. She'd obviously done something to upset him. And though she'd always been a rebel and felt like everyone was too overprotective, it crushed her when Legolas became concerned like this. But what had she done? Lord Aragorn had known her whereabouts, and so had Eowyn.  
  
Legolas left the room saying something in Elvish. She got to her feet, still puzzled as Eowyn flew to her side. "Are you all right, my lady?"  
  
"Yes, I'm fine."  
  
"But the vision from Sauron..."  
  
"Don't worry, I don't think it was Sauron," she assured Eowyn, meeting her gaze. "It was rather beneficial. The Witchking of Angmar is moving out with his army. But Frodo is alive."  
  
Slowly, Eowyn's worried look turned into a smile. "Your friend is alive? Oh, that is wonderful news!" she exclaimed.  
  
Laura grinned. In an instant, she'd forgotten about all the pain. Frodo was alive! And so was Sam! What a relief. She had to tell Aragorn.  
  
"ARAGORN!" she shouted, causing more than a few heads to turn in her direction. Aragorn came running.  
  
"Frodo's alive!" she rejoiced. In that instant, Aragorn shed his weary appearance and suddenly looked young and handsome again. The smile that rarely showed itself could be seen all across his face.  
  
"That is indeed the best news we have had yet," he said truthfully.  
  
"I know. But wait, there's more. The armies have left with the Witchking."  
  
He looked at her seriously. "It is well that we know this. I will consult Theoden and see what I can do."  
  
"I know, but you gotta take your celebrations where you can get them, you know? By the way, what's up with Legolas?" she asked.  
  
Aragorn sighed. "He was only looking out for you."  
  
"I know, but he totally flipped out on me. I mean TOTALLY."  
  
He put a hand on her shoulder. "Perhaps he just showed more emotion than he would have cared to."  
  
"What? Oh, let me handle this," she said understandingly, though in reality she had no understanding of the situation at all. She wanted to leave Aragorn in peace for awhile, with the knowledge the Frodo was ALIVE.  
  
Legolas showing more emotion than...when had he ever shown emotion? Then she smiled to herself. He was actually one of the warmest, most emotional people she knew. He was just extremely mature about his emotions, that was all. He didn't throw temper tantrums like she did or run away to cool off. He just sort of was really balanced with all of his emotions. She decided that was enough reason for an Elf to flip out once in awhile.  
  
"Legolas, are you here?" she asked, exiting the castle. She went down the steps and walked through the village. It was really strange that he would be out here, but she found him. He was in the stables, feeding Epona and the other horses.  
  
"Hey Legolas, is everything all right?" she asked, entering. He looked up at her, then began brushing with a fixed concentration. He was really bad at hiding things, and she chuckled to herself. "Come on, you can tell me."  
  
"I must apologize for my behavior. It was not proper of me," he said quickly, the words practically spilling out of his mouth. But something was definitely wrong.  
  
"Hey, hey. I don't care if you act 'proper' or not," she said, making the quotes with her fingers. "Is something bothering you? Because this is really starting to concern me."  
  
But Legolas' face turned beet red when he tried to look at her. He was...really embarrassed about something. Frowning, she looked down to see if her pants were unzipped or something like that. "Did you see me naked?" she asked, in all seriousness.  
  
"N-no," he said, confused.  
  
She raised and eyebrow. "Would you like to?"  
  
"Laura-"  
  
"Dude, I'm so kidding!" she said, laughing. "Anyway, that vision wasn't bad. Frodo and Sam are still alive!"  
  
His eyes brightened. "Does Lord Aragorn know of this? It would bring him great relief, as it has brought me."  
  
"Yeah, I told him. But isn't that great? I was so happy to see Frodo again!"  
  
"What do you mean, you saw him?"  
  
"I saw what he's doing right now, or at least I think it's right now. I'm pretty sure it's the present. Well, maybe it's the future. Getting back to the point, he was at this strange looking castle, and they were about to climb these stairs. Only they were more like lines cut into a canyon wall..." 


	5. Riding Out

Disclaimer: I don't own LOTR  
  
Riding Out  
  
He stopped her. "You mean the stairs of Cirith Ungol?"  
  
She shrugged. "Yes? How many staircases are there in Middle Earth?"  
  
He looked worried as he set down the brush. "This does not bode well."  
  
"What, why not? Leggy, he's alive! What could be better?"  
  
"He may not survive what is up ahead. Especially with the creature Gollum leading them, they will end up in despair," he said, clenching his teeth together.  
  
Her eyes widened. "Legolas, what's going to happen to him? Where's Gollum taking them?"  
  
He shook his head. "I do not wish to instill false fears into your heart."  
  
Clenching her fists, she shouted, "Could you not treat me like a child and just tell me what's up? I can handle it!"  
  
His eyes widened in surprise. She was very frustrated because he had been, but now he was back to his overprotective self again. He crossed his arms in front of his chest. "The stairs lead right into the lair of Shelob, who is an ally of Sauron's."  
  
She made a face. "That doesn't sound too good at all."  
  
"No it does not. Shelob is a giant spider, and if Frodo and Sam are able to make it past her, then they must face the wrath of Mordor."  
  
"So what's so bad about that? All they have to is waltz in, drop the Ring off at Mount Doom, and we're good to go."  
  
He leaned closer to her, lowering his voice. "I'm afraid it is not as easy as you make it out to be, Laura."  
  
"Of course it is! Because we...meaning you, me, Aragorn, Gandalf, the Rohirrim, and Gondor, are going to create a distraction. Sauron won't even see the Hobbits."  
  
In an instant, Legolas smiled. This girl was not stupid, and he could see in her all of the potential that Gandalf gave her credit for. Seeing her so confident made all the fears for the future melt away. And the boyish fantasy he'd been debating with had come truer than ever. He was in love with her.  
  
She smiled and winked at him, turning around to go back to the castle. She wondered what that whole scenario had just meant. Why had he been blushing? The obvious reason would have been because he had feelings for her, but it wasn't possible. An Elf? From a different world? No way. They'd never be anything more than just friends. So if she kept quiet, she wouldn't hurt herself or anyone around her in the process.  
  
The sky, she had just noticed, was light out now. She'd completely lost track of time. Oh well. Exiting the gates, her attention was drawn to a mountain range. There was a small orange light on it. "A fire?" she asked herself. What was a fire doing on a mountain? Did mountains catch on fire? She stared at it for a moment until Legolas came up behind her.  
  
"Oh, so you have seen it," he said.  
  
"The flame? Yeah," she said. "What does it mean?"  
  
"It's a signal. Gondor is calling us to their aid."  
  
"OH," she said, suddenly understanding. "Whoa, so then we're going to Gondor? Legolas, that is so awesome! Those Orcs are gonna be so scared of Men once I'm-" she looked up at Legolas. "Sorry. But I did when the bet, remember?" she grinned.  
  
"I know. I do have faith that fighting by your side will bring me good luck."  
  
Merry came running up to the two of them. "We're going to aid Gondor!" he cried. "And King Theoden said I could ride with the Rohirrim. Just like a real knight."  
  
"Oh, of course! Hey, I'm predicting big things for you to come, Merry," Laura said as the three of them headed inside the castle to speak with the king.  
  
Before she knew it, they were already preparing to set out and ride to Gondor. She had previously talked with Eowyn, convincing her (not that she'd need much convincing) to disguise herself like a soldier and fight. As she mounted Epona, she could see Eowyn and Aragorn talking. Aragorn suddenly turned and looked in her direction.  
  
"Laura!" he called. She shrugged.  
  
"What?" she knew he'd seen lady Eowyn's sword. "Don't blame me, she was gonna do it either way. I'm just helping her along." She quickly got herself away from there, and alongside Merry, rode to the encampment with the Rohirrim.  
  
The days had been long, yet short. Now that everything was finally coming together, there was so little time to do everything that needed to be done. Apparently she'd done something to make King Theoden change his views of women, because she found that she was a lot more informed of how many men they had, where the men were from, how much time they had, and things like that she'd never known in Edoras.  
  
She sat on the hillside next to Merry, who was toying with his weedpipe since he'd given the rest of his to Pippin. He looked down on the encampment, sighing. She knew he was wondering about if he'd ever see Pippin again.  
  
"You know, he's going to be just fine," she reassured him.  
  
He looked at her. "Do you really believe that?"  
  
She sat back. "Merry, I don't know how anyone could survive this long if they didn't have some optimism with them. Of course Pippin will be all right. He's a very strong Hobbit, and he has as much hope and passion as a child could for Middle Earth. If that doesn't comfort you, than remember that he's with Gandalf."  
  
Merry didn't get a chance to respond, because Eowyn called out to him. She smiled at Laura, thanking her for the encouragement to disguise herself as a soldier. Laura hoped that she wasn't sending Eowyn off to her death. Then she sensed a presence. An Elf presence. She looked a little way down the mountain, and a cloaked stranger was ascending. Should she tell Aragorn? He was asleep, and she didn't want to be responsible for waking him.  
  
She got up. No one else seemed to notice, so she calmly walked toward the figure. Getting closer, she could see some facial features. "Lord Elrond!" she cried as she threw her arms around him.  
  
Taken aback, he didn't say anything.  
  
"Oh Lord Elrond, I didn't know if I'd get to see you again. How's Arwen? How is my sister doing?" she said, pulling away.  
  
He looked very old when he looked at her, like it hurt to hear the word 'sister'. "She is dying slowly, like all of us are. But she suffers most." 


	6. Stuck With Good Friends

Disclaimer: I don't own LOTR.  
  
Stuck With Good Friends  
  
Laura understood now that it tore him apart for Arwen to want to leave him and his people and remain on Middle Earth with Aragorn. But it would be the same for any father. "Lord Elrond, her life is no longer in your hands. Put her happiness before you, not her safety."  
  
He looked angered by this comment. "There is no happiness here," he said slowly.  
  
She phrased her next sentence carefully. She didn't want to make him mad, and she didn't want to hurt him. She didn't want to bring back painful memories, but she had to say something to him about the situation that had gone on between her mother and Luke. This was absolutely no time for it, but she wasn't sure if both of them would survive to be able to have this conversation again. "Lord Elrond...father...she has made a decision. So has Lord Aragorn, so have I, so has Frodo. This war is going to affect us all. And we are all responsible for how much it is going to affect us. Father, just let her live. Or die. But just...just let her be," she pleaded.  
  
Lord Elrond's face seemed to soften at this. She'd sparked something in him. He put his hand tenderly on her shoulder, looking down at her. "You speak as if you were my very own child," he said, obviously longing to make it the truth.  
  
"I will always be your daughter. At least I know you enough to have a moment of warmth when I remember your face."  
  
He kissed her on the forehead. "Indeed, child. You as well."  
  
They lingered there on the mountainside for a moment, then walked together until just outside King Theoden's tent. She said a quick goodbye, not wanting to make things any more emotional, and went to find Legolas. She felt that they would be leaving soon, judging from the strong power that had been emanating from whatever Elrond was carrying.  
  
She sat down hard by a yellow tent. She watched some of the men, including Eomer. What would happen in the end? If she died in this world, would she be transported back home?  
  
Breaking her thoughts, Aragorn passed glumly leading Hasufel. She got up. "And just where do you think you're going?" she said, putting herself between him and whatever path he was taking.  
  
He shook his head. "Not this time, Laura. You are not coming with me."  
  
Legolas came to her rescue, appearing with the other two horses. "Have you learned nothing about the stubbornness of this girl?" he asked, smiling at Laura as he said it.  
  
"Yeah. Face it, you're stuck with us."  
  
Laura looked down the passage. It was a dark, creepy looking trench in the mountain. "Paths of the Dead, eh? Let me get my camcorder," she said as she mounted Epona. Some of the men were watching them, and began asking where Lord Aragorn was headed. He did not reply, and the three rode single file, being swallowed up by the dust and shadows of the pass as Laura waved to the soldiers.  
  
She gasped. "What about Merry?" she asked, leaning forward.  
  
"He will be fine. The King will not allow him to fight among such circumstances," Legolas explained as he rode in front of her.  
  
"Such circumstances? What's that supposed to mean?" she inferred.  
  
"Master Meriadoc is too small for a battle, just like Master Peregrin. Just like a certain young woman..." Legolas tried to explain.  
  
"Don't get smart," she warned him. "I've got to get a copy of the ERA up in this joint," she muttered. She looked around. She didn't even see the path they were taking. It was dark, foggy, and cold. She shivered. Something about this little detour they were taking didn't feel quite right.  
  
"Uhm, Legolas? Would you care to debrief me on this Paths of the Dead stuff?" she asked meekly.  
  
He looked over at her. "Are you sure, my lady? I don't want to frighten you into staying behind."  
  
"If I didn't know any better, I would think you were starting to get a little attitude with me, Elf boy. We're not going to have a problem, are we?"  
  
He smiled. "I hope not."  
  
"You know I could swear you're human sometimes, the way you talk. Debrief me!"  
  
"As you wish. In the days of old-"  
  
"Ah, the days of old. Good times," she interrupted.  
  
"May I continue?"  
  
"Sorry!" she quickly apologized. She was losing all seriousness, since she could feel the tension stirring between the rocks. Aragorn was ahead of them, and he hadn't spoken a single word yet.  
  
"In the days of old, Gondor had a King. But the men who had sworn to protect Gondor fled to these mountains when the time came for defense. Being murderers and traitors, Isildur cursed these men to dwell underneath the mountain until their oath had been served. Not even Sauron himself can take control of this army."  
  
"Ah, an army of ghosts. That is wicked cool, Leggy. So we're going in, eh?"  
  
"That has yet to be decided," he said as they dismounted their horses. Laura didn't even realize they had arrived yet. She looked at the entrance. It had human skulls on both sides, and was carved out of rock.  
  
Legolas read the inscription. "The way is shut. It was sealed by those who are dead, and they keep it. The way is shut." As he finished his sentence, a blast of wind began blowing out of the cave that was supposedly shut.  
  
All three of the horses reared up and ran. "Epona!" she called. But they were gone. She looked back at them.  
  
Aragorn didn't say a word, but walked right in. He didn't even look back to make sure Laura and Legolas hadn't run away.  
  
"Does he seriously have that much blind faith in us? If he thinks he's so tough, maybe he doesn't need sidekicks," Laura said with her hands on her hips.  
  
"I do not fear death. I am going to follow him," Legolas told her.  
  
"Yeah, me too," she said as they stepped inside. Once in, she looked around. They were in a big empty place, with a wide path beyond them. It wasn't that dark, but in a couple of steps she couldn't see anything. Seeing Legolas' blond hair, she reached out and grabbed his cloak. He whirled around to face her, startled. 


	7. Down to the Depths

Down to the Depths Disclaimer: I don't own a thing having to do with LOTR.  
  
"I didn't mean to scare you," she whispered, not wanting to disturb the deadly silence. "I couldn't see anything," she explained as they pressed on. They could see Aragorn ahead of them and ran to catch up.  
  
She gasped as she stepped into what seemed to be a pit of mist. Whitish blue mist swirled all around them, and again she couldn't see anything. But she didn't want to cry out or anything. She'd find her way eventually. She felt around, trying to part the mist until she could feel rock. She had no idea which direction she was moving in, but she stuck close to the rock. She couldn't even see her own feet when she looked down. The mist wasn't suffocating her, but it just clung to her.  
  
All of a sudden, she stopped. There was a rumbling noise shaking the ground. Right in front of her, a large stone had just been erected. She started heading around it, but something green jumped out at her. She jumped back, stunned as the shape of a man quickly formed in front of her. He was wearing very old armor, and looked tired. He also looked angry.  
  
Gripping her sword, she wondered if she could even touch this thing, or would the blade go right through him. It was time to find out. He tried to strike her, but she blocked him and started swinging away. She defeated the knight with minimal difficulty, and when she did the stone was destroyed. Slowly taking in what she'd experienced, she kept moving in the same direction.  
  
Someone else was coming. She braced herself, continuing to slowly move through the mist. Maybe she could avoid it. She didn't like this place at all. Undead things really creeped her out, especially when it was a setting like this where anything could jump out at her. She wanted to defeat the Orcs and see Frodo again, and her anxiety was at its greatest in this enclosed place.  
  
Her heightened sense of awareness left her, and she began to feel dizzy. Not here, she thought. I can pass out anywhere but here. They'll never find me if I do. She staggered a bit, feeling every muscle in her body trying to relax rapidly. She felt nauseous.  
  
Something grabbed her hand. Before she could shriek, a firm hand was over her mouth. "It's all right, it's me," Legolas said. But she could feel her heart beating a thousand times faster.  
  
"This way," he said as he took her by the hand. She held onto it tightly, never wanting to let go. She wanted to pull him back towards her and kiss him. She had an extremely uneasy feeling about this upcoming battle. She feared the little vision Sauron had shown her would come true.  
  
They stood outside a gate, on a very narrow path. Aragorn was turning the crank that was used to open the ancient gate. Inside she could see nothing but stone, and realized that she was still holding Legolas' hand. He looked at her as Aragorn proceeded through the entrance. "Laura? Are you frightened?"  
  
She nodded. "Terrified," she confessed. It wasn't just the place. The bad feeling inside her was growing.  
  
He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Do not fear, for your friends are with you," he assured her, gently pushing her forward.  
  
This did offer her a little bit of comfort, since it was from Legolas. She followed him to where Aragorn was standing in the middle of the empty chamber. There was another doorway just before them, but she doubted they were going through this one judging by the echoing voice she could hear. She let go of Legolas' hand and stood by Aragorn. She looked at him, the supposed King that would lead them all to victory. It was a whole lot to ask of one man, especially one so burdened as he was.  
  
"Just remember Aragorn, you are the man," she told him as shapes began to gather around them. "And if these freaks won't follow you into battle, than I still will."  
  
The undead weren't as scary as she thought they would be. Probably because she knew what they were. They all appeared at once, surrounding them. She wasn't sure if they were going to be attacked or not, so she readied herself for a battle. She expected to feel Legola's hand on her shoulder, but she didn't. Turning around, she could see him aiming an arrow at one of the knights.  
  
The leader of them was laughing at the trio. His army seemed a little overconfident. Laura began getting nervous again. That feeling that something terrible was going to happen continued to well up inside her. Frodo needed them. She wanted to urge Aragorn to hurry, but she stood back as he presented his sword after arguing with the leader of the dead.  
  
She almost lost her balance as the place began shaking. Aragorn looked back at the two of them. "They agree to fight. But we must hurry, everything is collapsing!"  
  
Taking off after him, Laura found herself leaping over cracks and dodging boulders as she kept sight of the man and Elf in front of her. There was a point where a small bridge collapsed just as she was beginning to make her way across it. Crying out, she began stumbling back into the darkness below when Legolas caught her and pulled her to safety.  
  
In that moment, she looked directly into his eyes. She rarely did this, because she was afraid that he might be able to read eyes and emotions as well as she could. And she'd been harboring feelings of immense love for him for a very long time now. As she did, she saw fear. She tensed right up when he pulled her back on the ground, and forced herself to run faster than ever to try to get away from it. It made her uneasy to know that Legolas was afraid, even though he had every right to be. At last, they were able to make it out of that cave.  
  
Immediately she went into her dreamlike state again. Stumbling, the ground was the last thing she was able to see. She could hear multitudes and multitudes of voices, shouting. She was on a different battlefield, and the enemies were also different. She found herself surrounded by dark figures, faceless. The voices grew louder, and she realized they were calling her name. A blond haired, blue eyed man helped her to her feet, but it wasn't Legolas. He looked into her eyes. He was surprisingly familiar. His mouth moved, but she wasn't able to make out the words he was saying. As she looked around her, more seemingly familiar faces seemed to appear. In the distance, she saw some sort of temple. The rest of the battle faded away as she walked towards the temple. She could hear a song flowing from it, but just barely. She took one more step... 


	8. Final Battle for MiddleEarth

Final Battle for Middle-Earth

Disclaimer: I don't own LOTR.

She woke up, disappointed that her dream hadn't continued this time. She found that as they got closer to the war, her dreams became more pleasant. Sleepily, she looked up. She was sitting on a boat, and it felt like they were moving quickly. As she became more aware of her surroundings, she lifted her head. She had been asleep on Legolas' shoulder. He was also asleep, and she tensed up.

By this point she knew the battle was drawing closer and closer. This would be the big climax of the Third Age of Middle-Earth, and she couldn't help but wonder how things would work out. Sensing movement, she looked up again to see Aragorn. She wanted to call out his name, but the look on his face was twisted with so much agony that she was forced to swallow her words. Biting her lip, she tried to remember the song that floated about in her dream. Nothing came to her, and she sighed dejectedly.

Aragorn heard her and turned his head away from whatever horizon he'd been looking at. "We are almost at the Southern Gate."

"Good, I wanna get this over with," she said. Hearing her voice so close to his ears, Legolas stirred. He stood up, fully alert. He leaned over the side of the ship, obviously finding some kind of ease about this journey.

She approached Aragorn, keeping her voice as low as possible. She knew that he hadn't slept in days. Seeing Elrond and hearing about Arwen had renewed his intensity for the battle, and was wearing him down before it even began. "Hey. Are you okay?" she asked.

He looked at her wearily and shook his head. This surprised her, because she never expected Aragorn to see her as anything more than that girl that followed the Fellowship around. Admitting this to her was a big thing. "The weight is on my shoulders, and it will not be taken off for a very long time to come."

"You know, for being the heir of Gondor, you're pretty pessimistic. You've gotta learn to relax. It's just another battle."

He sighed. "Indeed. More bloodshed, more men lost. More taken by Sauron."

"AND one more victory. Cheer up, dude," she said, looking at him tiredly. She wanted to scream until her throat gave out. The intensity of all this had just been building up in her. She wanted to see the Hobbits, she wanted to see Gandalf and Arwen and Galadriel and Elrond again. She just wanted all of this to be over, and she wanted Sauron defeated. She could see a tip of land coming into view. "Is that it? Is that Gondor?" she asked.

"It is. Now get down, we are on enemy ships," Aragorn explained.

She ducked. "Are we? I must have missed that part." She tried not to grunt as the ship was docked. She could hear some Orcs talking grumpily to whom they took to be their mates. Aragorn made a gesture with his hand, and the three of them jumped over the side, all of them landing gracefully.

The Orcs looked confused, and as the three of them and the army of the dead charged, the looks turned to pure terror. Laura swung her sword back and forth. Finally, some room to stretch and run around! She focused intensely on the battle, knowing that if they won she would get a tour of Gondor then. She hadn't even kept track of how long it had been, but she felt something wasn't right.

She heard Aragorn shout something, and looked behind her. "Elephants?" she cried. There were monstrous looking elephants coming towards her, each with a little rider on top blowing a horn. The horns sounded kind of cool, but as they got closer she could see the enormous tusks.

"Oliphaunts!" Aragorn cried, warning them. Oliphaunts? Laura aimed her arrow at the dozen or so riders on one of them, bringing as many down as she could when Orcs weren't flying at her from all directions. She watched as a rider went right beneath the beast, slicing at its heels. Inspired, she did the same with several of the beasts. "87, 88, 89, 90..." she continued counting.

If she hadn't already been completely taken away by Legolas, his next trick would have certainly done it. As she watched, he proceeded to climb up the spears that were in the beast. Like a monkey, he swung from one to the other, climbing up the side and killing Orcs on the way up. Were they Orcs? She squinted. They looked more like Easterlings to her. Legolas cut the strap the held the little fortlike object on top, and all of the riders fell off. After defeating anyone who was left, he then made his way to the head and shot two arrows into the creature. As it fell, he slid down the trunk like a pro snowboarder, hopping gracefully off and looking at her.

Regaining her speech, she looked at the heap. "I am so going to marry you," she said in awe.

Smiling, he patted her on the shoulder. The battle wasn't over yet. "Laura!" a voice cried inside of her head. Falling to her knees, she put her hands over her ears. It was Frodo!

As more cries erupted from the men, she heard something else. It was a screeching sound. One of the Ringwraiths was circling her. Knocking over one last Orc, she could see that the field was clearing. There wasn't very much commotion left going on anymore. Had she really been present for the whole thing? She hated to think that killing creatures was her engrossing hobby where she lost track of time.

But Frodo? What about him? She clutched her painful shoulder. He was weakening, she could feel his lifeline. It was like a thin little thread. She stood her ground as the evil creature landed, and the wraith dismounted. She smiled. All of a sudden there was a power in her; a confidence. Putting her sword away, she could see Legolas, Aragorn, Gandalf and Eomer out of the corner of her eye. They were trying to approach the scene amidst what was left of the waning battle.

The wraith was on her now, making those horrible shrieking noises that had at one point mad her blood run cold. Now she reached for her side, lit her saber and in one liquid movement, the creatures was simply a pile of black robes. Putting her saber back at her side, she stared at the evil winged creature.

As the men approached, the creature was squealing in agony as she fought to control it mentally. It was never hard to push dark, shallow thoughts aside. Laura looked back, still maintaining her concentration. "You were right, Gandalf; I have too much hope. And Frodo still needs us," she told him as he approached.

"Nay child, the Battle is over," Eomer said desperately.

Legolas approached her. "You are a Jedi. What do you see?" he asked, putting his hand on her shoulder.

Now that she no longer had to hide the fact that she was a Jedi, she could see clearly an image of two worn-looking, tired, weak Hobbits trekking in Orc armor over the dry and crusted terrain of Moria. "They are making their way slowly to Mount Doom. But they need more time. An army's separating them from that mountain."

Legolas looked at her seriously, then at Gandalf. The group stood there for a moment. Aragorn looked like he was concocting a plan.


	9. Reunited?

Disclaimer: I don't own LOTR.

Reunited?

The final battle was over, but it felt like things were just climaxing at a sickening rate. They were marching to the Black Gate, drawing out Sauron's army in order to give Frodo more time. She had never seen a group of people look more desolate.

This time she rode on the back of Legolas' horse. Her visions were getting stronger, and with them her strength waned. But she had insisted on coming, and for the first time Legolas was not about to argue with her. She held onto him tightly as Arod stopped. She looked at the ground, not wanting to look up and see the Black Gate and the land she had seen so many times.

Aragorn rode forth bravely, commanding the lord of the Black Gate to come forward. She swallowed, her throat feeling dry and not being able to carry out the command. She looked beside her, where Merry sat on his pony and Pippin right next to him. Would they ever see their friends again? And Gandalf…he had never looked more grave.

She unconsciously gripped Legolas a bit tighter as the Gate began to move with a loud and strained grinding noise. It opened only a bit as what she thought at first to be a man rode out. She gasped as she looked more closely and saw that it was simply a head with a large bleeding mouth. This was no time for explanations, but she needed one badly. The way it spoke sent chills flying through her body, and then it held up Frodo's mithril shirt.

Merry and Pippin both cried out and were silenced by Gandalf. Laura felt like she would pass out, but Legolas gripped her firmly on the leg as he felt her sliding off the horse. He held her steady, though his arms trembled. She began grinding her teeth together madly, resisting the urge to cry.

The Gate was open a bit, and she tried scanning the rocky terrain for two Hobbits, but she had no such luck. "Cut his head off, Aragorn," she whispered urgently. That talking, bleeding mouth was nothing but a liar. Frodo wasn't dead, she could barely feel his lifeline and Sam's still.

Laura held her breath, watching as Aragorn sliced the mouth's head off. She relaxed a bit, recovering her balance. "Thank you," she said. Aragorn was retreating now, and the Gate was opening even wider. "Oh my God," she uttered, as she and Legolas dismounted Arod. As the Gate opened, Moria was filled with Orcs and Trolls and those evil creatures that lurked there. And in the distance, she could see a tall black tower with a light on top of it. The Eye. It flashed in every direction, constantly searching.

If it hadn't been for the amazingly huge army that loomed before them, she could have laughed at that stupid Eye that would never find Frodo. But she couldn't find it in herself to think positively at that moment. She tightened her grip around her sword, ready for Aragorn to give the command.

She almost cried out in horror. He was looking in the direction of the Eye, and it was calling his name. She looked at him, ready to leap on him and snap him out of it. But he looked back just in time at all of them. "For Frodo," he said in a low voice before charging straight for the army.

Laura took a few short breaths, and as Merry and Pippin took off running with Gandalf she did as well, alongside Legolas and the rest of the cheering army. She would fight until the Ring was destroyed or until she couldn't fight anymore.


	10. Friendly Game of Poker

Disclaimer: I don't own LOTR. And if you're reading this, I changed the ending. Yeah, I know that this Fanfic totally isn't my best work, but it's my first one so cut me a break. Plus, I'm working on a sequel to this which should be way better. So we'll see how that goes.

Friendly Game of Poker

To her, it seemed like this battle was over almost as soon as it began. Her sword was so clumsy in such enclosed spaces, so she whipped out her light saber and began taking out enemies left and right. But she didn't have much left in her at all after almost a year of constant fighting and horrible nightmares.

She was running out of adrenaline quickly, until she turned and saw Aragorn under the foot of a troll. She began making her way to him, already knowing that he would be too late. She could see Legolas and Gandalf doing the same, and she made the mistake of diving beneath another troll who was swinging a club. She was blocked, and now there was no way to get to him.

So she did what all of the men were doing at this point. She cowered in fear as the final blow never came and the ground began shaking. This made her open her eyes wide, steadying herself and immediately forgetting the present battle. She looked up at the tower. The Eye was fixed on an opening in a cave. Frodo had made it to Mount Doom! And THE EYE WAS CRUMBLING! She screamed with joy, not caring about the dying orcs surrounding her or the land crumbling away before her.

"YEAH, FRODO!" she yelled, causing her throat to hurt. She bit her tongue as the tower collapsed, realizing as the land of Moria crumbled away that Frodo and Sam were still there. She looked back at Gandalf, and he had a single tear running down his dirty face. He had realized the same thing as Mount Doom erupted in an angry flow of lava. Pippin was in tears, and Merry as well as her heart sank for a moment. But Gandalf did not hesitate to get on the back of one of the Eagles. She breathed a sigh of relief, and for the umpteenth time felt a set of strong arms catch her as she passed out.

She didn't have a single dream that she was able to recall during her sleep. She woke up in an extravagant bed, in an extravagant room. Sitting up, she looked at her clothes. She was in beautiful white dress, much like the one Galadriel had let her wear. Elves! She hopped out of bed and ran to where she saw a mirror. Her hair was even braided, and she was clean. She twirled around, watching the dress.

Stepping up to her window, she looked outside. A nice, warm breeze greeted her as she took a deep breath in. She could only see sky in the direction of Mordor. Everything was bright blue, or white. Getting excited, she stepped out of her room and found herself lost already. It was like a maze. She could barely even find the door she'd stepped out of. Taking in the sights, she stood there a while.

"My lady!" a voice cried. It was Eowyn. Laughing, she threw her arms around the girl. "Oh, it is wonderful to see you on your feet again!" she exclaimed.

"Eowyn! Did you fight at Pelennor Fields?" Laura asked.

Eowyn nodded. "Merry and I fought alongside the Rohirrim! But this is certainly no time for talk of that."

"You're right. I want details, later." It was just then she noticed the young man standing beside Eowyn.

He bowed his head. "Good day, my princess. I am Lord Faramir, brother of Boromir."

She took his hand. "My lord!" she exclaimed. "Your brother has told me all about you. From his accounts, it is my assumption that you have a very good heart."

He smiled. "Thank you."

"She's awake!" A small voice cried exuberantly.

"MERRY!" she said, kneeling so that she could hug him. He bowled her over, almost knocking her to the ground as the two behind her laughed. "Eowyn was just telling me about your adventure as a knight of the Rohirrim."

Merry's eyes brightened. "Did she tell you about the part where I took my dagger and shoved it into the Witchking's leg, just as he was about to attack her?"

"No, she left that part for you to tell me about," Laura said, winking at Eowyn. She hadn't heard anything about the defeat of the Witchking.

Pippin decided to leap on her back, almost scaring her. Laughing even harder, she listened to his account of being a Knight of Gondor, and how he had save Faramir's life when his father, Denethor, had gone crazy and was about to burn him alive. She grinned as she saw Sam wander into the crowd that was now forming around her.

They all gave him shouts of praise and pats on the back as he blushed. Standing up, she walked with them to the Seventh Circle. This was the courtyard with the White Tree of Gondor that Pippin had seen in his vision. Laura leaned against the banister and again looked out onto the beautiful day on Middle-Earth. Pippin and Merry were still talking excitedly, telling Sam what had happened.

It was all over, the battle for Middle-Earth. Now Aragorn was king of Gondor, and everything was right in the world again. The Hobbits would go back to the Shire...but she was getting ahead of herself. She turned back to the Hobbits. "Where is Gandalf?" she asked.

"Last I heard he was with Lord Aragorn," Merry said.

"Merry, it's King Aragorn now," Sam reminded him. "Which reminds me, what's to become of the Elf lady, Arwen?"

She thought about it. "I don't know, Sam." Honestly, she didn't. Was Aragorn still in love with her? She'd assumed that he was after speaking with Lord Elrond, but she could hardly credit herself with what went on in Aragorn's personal life. "I'm still trying to piece things together in my mind. I did just wake up."

His eyes lit up. "I've got just the thing to clear your head. How about a friendly game of poker?"


	11. The Seventh Circle

Disclaimer: I don't own LOTR.  
  
The Seventh Circle  
  
She laughed. They sat in that courtyard for hours, taking in each other's accounts of what had happened. They never did keep score in that game; both of them were much too happy to be alive and able to play than about money or possessions. Pretty soon, Pippin and Merry joined and it was just like back in Lothlorien in that first part of the journey.  
  
By now the sun was beginning to lower itself gently in the sky. Still the quartet talked excitedly, not paying any attention to the time. None of them had eaten a single meal all day because they'd been so engrossed in their conversations and listening to each other's stories.  
  
"Then Treebeard saw all of the remains of the forest that had been used to fuel Isengard, and he let out a terrible cry," Pippin was saying.  
  
"Yeah, and so we marched with him to Isengard, with the rest of the Ents, and began a war of our own. We threw rocks at the Orcs, as Treebeard and the others broke the dam and threw boulders at the tower," Merry chimed in.  
  
Pippin nodded eagerly. "That's where we found this!" he exclaimed, pulling a patch of leaves out of his coat pocket.  
  
"Old Toby!" Sam cried. "How'd you get your hands on that?"  
  
"We found it, among other things, in all the flotsam and jetsam after the war. I'm surprised you've still got the stuff I gave you before you left, Pip!" Merry said, laughing.  
  
"So you got to smoke and drink yourselves silly while I was up on a rock wall with that slimy creature? Sounds fair to me," Sam said bitterly.  
  
"Oh, totally. How'd you guys get so lucky? I was standing on a fortress, in a ravine, in the rain, with 10,000 Uruk Hai ready to trample me," Laura said. "Beat that," she challenged them.  
  
They all looked at one another, then back at her. They couldn't. They'd all had their trials after the separation of the Fellowship, and she sympathized most with Sam as he told his tales of being captured by Faramir's men and dragged to Osgiliath while Frodo fought temptation. The entire time, she'd been torn between staying with Aragorn or going with Frodo. Hearing all of this made her angry that she hadn't chosen the latter.  
  
The group was rather quiet after Sam spoke. She could tell that he himself was having trouble believing it, especially the part about Shelob and the spiders. "So you killed that thing by yourself?" Laura asked, amazed.  
  
Sam nodded, rather proudly as a servant appeared before them. "The king wants you to know that the evening feast is being held," he announced.  
  
"Oh that's right, I'm starving!" Laura exclaimed.  
  
"Me, too," Pippin said, standing up and brushing himself off. The four eventually found their way to the feast hall, which was crowded with people. This was her idea of a party! It had music, and tons of food and laughter.  
  
She sat with Faramir and Eowyn, who she now considered a couple. She also got a chance to see and speak with Gandalf, who was merrier than ever. She looked for Aragorn, but couldn't see him. She and the Hobbits ate and sang until the early hours of the morning, when most of the people had cleared out.  
  
She tried to find her room, but it was useless. She had no idea where anything was except the Seventh Circle. Looking up at the stars, she looked for the archer constellation that she and the Hobbits had found so long ago. It was a different point in the year, but she thought she could see it. Leaning over the banister again, her eyes focused on some sort of procession of people far away. Though she had only caught a glimpse of them, they looked like Elves. Could it be Arwen and Elrond?  
  
Suddenly, she got another vision. It was the same dream she'd had before, on the way to the Southern Gate. She was in the same battlefield, with the dark enemy all around her. This time, things seemed to move a bit faster. Something hit her, and she fell to the ground. Her arm had been cut in the process, and she watched it bleed for a moment, forgetting what was going on. Someone helped her to her feet. It was the blond-haired, blue-eyed man again. "You have to do it now," he said. "The others are being taken, one by one." Standing back, he let her view the temple they stood in front of. Looking up at it, she narrowed her eyes. She began walking forward, and pushed the big white doors open. Inside was a floating pedestal.  
  
Waking up, she didn't move. She was trying to keep the feeling of the dream, but it was no use. In a couple of seconds she had forgotten the song and the temple and the man. Blinking a few times, she took a deep breath. Sleepily, she moved her head and realized it was on a pillow. She was back in her room! Pushing the covers off her, she sat up a little ways and saw none other than Legolas watching out a window at the far end of the room.  
  
He wore a silver crown around his head, and was dressed in light blue satin. He looked very princelike, until she remembered that he was a prince. She watched the sunbeams dance in his golden hair, as he looked off into the distance. That was his signature look, the being deep in thought. Was he really older than the rest of them? He looked so young, with his skin so fair and his bright blue eyes having not a drop of age in them.  
  
Knowing exactly what to do, she leapt out of bed. "Legolas!" she shouted, as he spun around. She ran to him as he enveloped her in a hug. He lifted her up, then put her back down on her feet, with both of them smiling.  
  
"I found you last night by the Tree of Gondor in the Seventh Circle. I thought you had taken ill because of one of your visions."  
  
She shook her head. "I guess I just fell asleep."  
  
"I am glad to see you at all, but I am especially glad to see you are well," he admitted. He kissed her on the cheek. "Today Aragorn will be crowned King of Gondor," Legolas said triumphantly. "Gandalf has asked me to bring you as soon as you are awake."  
  
"Well, let's go then. Where is he?"  
  
"He is with Frodo."  
  
She winced at the sound of his name. Little Frodo had been through the most out of all of them. She wondered how he was doing. She remembered how strong he'd been when dealing with the Morgul blade wound until they managed to get to Rivendell. Seeing him so thin and unhealthy looking had broken her heart. Even worse was watching that pitiful little creature bite his finger off. Frodo had done nothing to deserve what he'd gone through, and she wished she had been the Ringbearer. 


	12. Until They Meet Again

Disclaimer: I don't own LOTR.

Until They Meet Again

Legolas caught the regret in her eyes. "Do not feel that way. Frodo could have chosen to turn back at any point."

"But he didn't, he felt that he had to take on the burden or else he'd let us all down. If it were me I think I would have stayed in the Shire."

Legolas smiled. "You would have done the same and you know it. Now let us go, Gandalf is waiting."

She nodded and followed him as he led her through the maze of Minas Tirith. Eventually, they entered a room where Frodo lay in bed. Seeing him she sighed. Gandalf rose to greet her, smiling.

"It brings me so much joy to see you safe again, my dear," he said. "But now I must ask a favor of you yet again."

"Of course," she said without hesitation.

"Ah, there's a good girl," he chuckled. "As you know, Aragorn's ceremony is to be held shortly. He has requested that you bear the crown."

"What? You want me to carry it?"

He nodded. "That is all, I'm afraid," he said shortly. "No battles this time."

"I'd love to. But is he going to be all right?" she asked, pointing to Frodo.

Gandalf continued to smile. "This brave Hobbit deserves to rule over a kingdom all his own. But I assume he will want to return with the others to Hobbiton. Yes, he will be fine." He took his seat again, and she watched Frodo sleeping. He looked a little healthier, and his white bedclothes matched with the satin sheets. Looking upon him, her regret vanished. Frodo was going to be all right.

As the Hobbit stirred, she jumped up and down excitedly. Then she stopped, grinning. Frodo opened his eyes and slowly took in his surroundings. He looked up at Gandalf, and she could see tears in his eyes. Approaching him, she kissed his tousled hair atop his head as she heard young voices behind her. Merry and Pippin had entered the room and scrambled onto Frodo's bed, laughing and hollering. She couldn't help but join in.

Legolas stood by Gandalf's side as Frodo gave him a grateful glance. Then Aragorn entered the room, looking clean and actually not exhausted. "Aragorn!" she cried. She hadn't seen him since she'd gone to Mordor. Taking her in his arms, he swung her in a full circle before placing her back on her feet.

"You are no longer a child to me, but young woman," he told her.

The last one in the room was Sam. He looked shyer than ever. He and Frodo looked at each other, and immediately Laura could see that strengthened friendship between them. Sam had most definitely played one of the more important roles in the destruction of the Ring. The Fellowship was back together again, with the exception of Boromir, whom none of them had forgotten.

Before long, Laura heard trumpets sounding. That was their cue to make an appearance in front of Gondor. This was so exciting! An actual crowning ceremony, and she was to be a part of it.

There were thousands upon thousands of people there. They crowded into the Seventh Circle, at the castle. Laura stood on the steps, holding a very heavy crown on a pillow. She held her head high, and knelt down when Gandalf took the crown and placed in Aragorn's head. The crowd cheered, but in her opinion she cried the loudest.

Aragorn descended the steps, followed by Gandalf and Laura. She saw many familiar faces in the crowd as they approached Legolas. He smiled at Aragorn, and what she assumed to be a number of Mirkwood Elves were behind him. She was able to spot Lord Elrond and Galadriel next. Galadriel hugged her, and she watched as Arwen appeared in front of Aragorn. There was complete silence among the crowd. Making her way to Lord Elrond, she could see the tears in his eyes. She gently placed a hand on his arm.

She watched her sister kiss Aragorn. Clapping and yelling, the crowd went wild. Last were the four Hobbits, as king and queen made their way to the row of them.

Each of them bowed down when Aragorn approached. "My friends!" he said. "You bow to no one." And at that moment, Laura felt goosebumps all over her skin as the entirety of Gondor bowed to those four. These kinds of things always made her feel excited like that. On her knees, she looked up and smiled at Frodo and the others. 

Aragorn and Arwen's wedding was the next day, being an even bigger cause for celebration in Minas Tirith. That evening Laura sat outside with her sister, watching the sunset.

"Where are you going to go now?" Arwen inquired. "Will you be staying here for some time?"

"If you want me to, I don't see why not. I was planning on going to Lothlorien."

Arwen smiled. "You mean you are not going to Fangorn Forest with Prince Legolas?"

Laura shook her head. "No, the longer I stay with him the harder it will be for me to say goodbye to him."

"Then do not say goodbye at all. You will meet again, I have foreseen it."

"I really hope you're right."

Arwen smiled and nudged her sister. Legolas could be seen from a distance approaching. Arwen got up. "I think I shall leave the two of you alone."

"Arwen, no. Arwen!" Laura said desperately, but her sister just laughed and said goodnight. Laura focused on the sunset, which was really hard since it was over. She didn't know how to say goodbye to Legolas. She didn't want to. What would she do without him?

He was standing behind her now, waiting for her to turn around. She took a deep breath. Letting her hair down, she turned around to face him. He was wearing his green and brown tunic, along with his Lorien cloak. She crossed her arms, trying to look angry at him.

"I am leaving tomorrow to explore Fangorn Forest," he told her.

"What? You're not going home yet?"

He smiled. "The War may be over, by my heart seeks adventure yet. I would ask you to come with me, only I know all too well that your heart lies with your sister and kin."

She grinned. "Can't you speak normally?"

"You mean 'Dude' and 'Chill out' and 'Hey, Leggy when can we grub out'?" he said, doing a perfect impression of her.

"Grub out?" she exclaimed, laughing. "I never said that, you totally made that one up," she said.

He began laughing with her. "We have been side by side too long."

"Legolas am..." she cleared her throat and tried to take a deep breath. "Am I ever going to see you again?"

He looked up at the sky, and then at her. "You may take these words as you like, but I fear I could not yet leave these shores before seeing the sun's rays upon your fair face once more."

She wanted to blush and tell him exactly how she felt. She wanted to follow him wherever he wanted to go. But with and incredible amount of control for herself, she remained idle. "You do know that you'll be gone before I wake up tomorrow."

He nodded. "That is why I will ask for your hand now."

Dreading what was coming next, she held out her hand and tried not to tremble. He took it in his and kissed it. "Goodnight, my princess. Until we meet again."

"Yeah. Bye," she forced herself to say. As he faded into the shadows and descended the Circle, she rubbed the spot on her hand where he'd kissed her. Exhaling slowly and loudly, she turned back to the stars. "What a stud," she said aloud.

A/N: That's it for the first part! I know it was kind of boring because the story has already been written, but it was necessary. I tried to go through it as fast as possible so I can get to next part, which is where the fanfiction really starts to take place. It's under the category of Star Wars and will be entitled simply "Raven".


End file.
